The concept of Purple Heart Projects and the origin of the organisation’s name is the hope that people will become aware of the colour purple when they see it on the streets, and that by saying kind words to strangers, it will lead to a chain of compassion and kindness.

Profile

Representative introduction
Noriko Okada Noriko Okada worked for Kadokawa Shoten (now KADOKAWA Co., Ltd.) (publishing company) for three years as an editor in charge of the monthly Kadokawa magazine and book editing department, before moving to London for 23 years. Her main activities included numerous media assignments as a magazine writer, coordinator and TV reporter. She obtained a journalist visa and retained permanent residence in the UK.
She then qualified as a psychotherapist in the UK before going on to study at Birkbeck, University of London.
While at the School of Psychology, she studied psychology with the Depression research team.

Understanding others,
I want to educate people that being kind is the first step towards personal growth and healing

I had been rejecting people and being bitter, but by confessing and confronting myself as I am, I was taught by others and by confronting them with kindness, I was able to save myself.

I have come to believe that the experience of understanding and being kind to others in their own situation is the first step towards healing, and that it can help others who are suffering from something.

Profile

Born in Tokyo in 1980. Trained at Trattoria Il Boccalone, a pioneering Italian restaurant in Ebisu, before moving to New York at the age of 22. Became the first Japanese sous chef at Jean-Georges, which has been awarded three stars for 12 consecutive years since the first issue of the New York Michelin Guide. After returning to Japan, he worked as executive chef at renowned restaurants before becoming chef de cuisine at Jean-Georges Tokyo when it opened in 2014.

In 2013, he won the US Embassy’s ‘Taste of America’ competition in Japan. In 2015, he was awarded the ‘Gold Egg’ at RED U-35, Japan’s largest chef competition. In 2018, he opened his own sustainable grill restaurant, The Burn, in Minami Aoyama.

He is the author of Vegan Recipes, published by Shibata Shoten. He collaborates with major food companies and provides their menus as sustainability and vegan recipes. Recently, she founded and heads No Code, a new company that develops genre-less ‘food’ businesses.